


The world is against you but I'm Here with you

by dodono



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: F/M, Spoilers, its okay super worth i got to contribute to this ship, mmmmmm what did i spend three weeks on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 18:44:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10702875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dodono/pseuds/dodono
Summary: “You must be Kaito! Shuuichi told me you would stop by today.”That isn’t what he expected to hear.“Yeah, I’m Kaito.” He hopes his returning smile isn’t strained.“It’s nice to meet you! It’s nice to meet all of you actually. Other people stopped to say hello once in awhile. They're all very kind. I thought it was weird that so many people Ididn't knowcame by to greet me, but it wasn't terrible,” Maki rambles, the shine in her eyes never diminishing.It hits Kaito then that something’s terribly wrong. There’s no way Maki wouldn’t recognize any of them. For fuck’s sake, she’d been with them for weeks. She’s asurvivor.“Maki, do you… know my full name?” he interrupts, dreading her response.The brunette cocks her head, confused. “No… I don't. After all, we’ve just met.”--Maki forgets and Kaito brings her back on her feet.





	The world is against you but I'm Here with you

**Author's Note:**

> THERE ARE SPOILERS TURN BACK IF YOU HAVENT TRIED THIS CUP OF TEA!
> 
> oh man i havent written fics in three years? feels nice to suffer again. okay wow makaito has ruined my life and i love them so much afhsdjsfj i have contributed a fic and drawings am i deep in this ship yet
> 
> warning theres some ooc because the maki here is how i headcanon her to be pre-game. i was afraid of kaito being kinda ooc but then i remembered this kid lives for dream and romance its all good yall.
> 
> Special thanks to Cloudy for major edits! this fic is way better than the first draft. also thanks to ema for helping with small edits (and then getting distracted when we chased after that anonymous iguana heh).
> 
> also, present tense because writing essays has changed me.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

“Maki’s awake.”

Kaito probably should've given some warning when he stands up, as his knees knock against the bottom of the table and he nearly knocks over a cup of coffee. When he turns to look at Shuuichi, the other boy’s expression is clearly shocked at just how  _ violent _ his reaction was.

“Oh, fuck, sorry,” Kaito stammers. Shuuichi quickly assures him it’s alright. “C-can I see her?”

Shuuichi doesn’t answer for a moment. Kaito can feel his heart sink even before his friend replies, “they’re still checking up on her. There's a possibility that she might be unstable considering how… long she stayed in the simulator.”

Kaito exhales and leans back, staring forward blankly. “I guess that's for the best.” 

Shuuichi glances at his friend, registering the faraway look in his eyes. “You miss her.”

“Yeah, man, I really do. Harumaki’s...  really damn special to me. There's so much I want to tell her.”

“I know.”

Kaito picks at his food, lost in thought, when he hears an “Excuse me” from behind him. Both Kaito and Shuuichi turn to greet the newcomer, and come face to face with Himiko. 

“Nee... Shuuichi, Maki is requesting to see us.” She glances sleepily at Kaito. “ _ Only _ us.”

Shuuichi pats Kaito’s shoulder sympathetically. “Sorry. I’m sure she’ll ask for you soon.”

As they leave, Kaito sighs and returns to poking his scrambled eggs with his fork, his chin propped on his free hand. 

He totally isn’t jealous of Shuuichi and Himiko getting to see Maki first. Nope, not at all. 

(okay fine maybe he’s a little jealous.)

 

-

 

_ “The victors are up!”  _

_ Everyone watches Shuuichi and Himiko struggle to rise, DanganRonpa staff crowding around both of them to check their condition. The remaining classmates let out a sigh of relief, elated to see the last of their peers coming back to reality. _

_ “Where’s Harumaki?” _

_ Twelve pairs of eyes whip around to stare at Kaito, whose shaking hands are gripping his mug tightly enough that his knuckles have gone white and his eyes are glued to the TV screen.  _

_ “Where is she? Why isn't she awake?” _

_ “Kaito, please calm down!” Kaede pleads, but her words fall deaf on his ears.  _

_ “She should be up just like the other two! Why the fuck is she still in there?!” _

_ “Kaito, please, it’s probably just a small problem,” Rantarou sooths, although he’s clearly just as worried. “I promise she’ll be up soon.” _

_ Maki’s pod malfunctions. _

_ She doesn’t leave it for ten months.  _

 

-

 

Two weeks pass by. Kaito’s getting antsy at not being able to speak to Maki when nearly everyone else has. He doesn't understand why Shuuichi and Himiko constantly get to see her when he hasn't even gotten a chance. 

“Oi, Shuuichi.”

The other boy pauses his workout to glance at him. “Yeah?” 

“Has she mentioned me at all?”

Kaito’s so distracted by his workout that he misses the way Shuuichi hesitates. His mouth opens, but no words come out. 

“I- uh… no, she hasn't.”

He pauses and turns to face Shuuichi. “Really? Nothin’ at all?” He receives a head shake no. 

Upon seeing Kaito’s face becoming gloomy, he quickly adds, “I could ask if she wants to see you. Is that okay?” 

Kaito nods. “Sure, that’d be great, that’d be perfect. Thanks, Shuuichi.”   


He doesn't notice the way Shuuichi’s expression creases with regret as he turns away. 

 

-

 

“You must be Kaito! Shuuichi told me you would stop by today.”

That isn’t what he expected to hear. 

Kaito’s eyes trail over Maki. Her long hair is tangled and unkempt from her long hospital stay, her body clad in the white paper gown that all of them have grown familiar with at some point, and is that a smile on her face?

In all the time Kaito has known Maki, he’s only seen her smile twice, never this brightly. 

“Yeah, I’m Kaito.” He hopes his returning smile isn’t strained. 

“It’s nice to meet you! It’s nice to meet all of you actually. Himiko introduced me to two of her friends, Tenko and Angie. They’re both really kind! Tenko gave me a cute ribbon for my hair and Angie drew the whole time we were chatting. Her art is beautiful, has she ever shown you? The other day, one of Shuuichi’s friends, Kaede, came in. She’s a pianist, and she promised she would play for me once I was healthy enough to walk around. Other people stopped to say hello once in awhile. They're all very kind. I thought it was weird that so many people I  _ didn't know _ came by to greet me, but it wasn't terrible,” Maki rambles, the shine in her eyes never diminishing. 

It hits Kaito then that something’s terribly wrong. There’s no way Maki wouldn’t recognize any of them. For fuck’s sake, she’d been with them for weeks. She’s a  _ survivor _ . 

“Maki, do you… know my full name?” he interrupts, dreading her response. 

The brunette cocks her head, confused. “No… I don't. After all, we’ve just met.”

Kaito doesn't know how to deal with this information. Weeks of being with her in the simulation and  _ she doesn’t remember anything _ . Maki should have gotten out of the simulation safer than the rest of them. He’d known Team  _ DanganRonpa _ had fucked up everyone, they’d fucked him up and they’d fucked Maki’s memories up so badly she didn’t remember him, why did they do this why why  _ why- _

“Kaito, are you alright?”

“Wha- ” Kaito raises a hand to his face. It feels wet. Oh. He didn’t realize he’s- 

“I'm fine. Don't worry about it.”

Excusing himself, he stands up and brushes out an imaginary wrinkle in his pants. “I gotta go. It was nice meetin’ ya, Harumaki.”

Kaito turns and heads for the door, unable to bear the confusion he knows is etched on her face at the unfamiliar nickname. He thinks, dully, that it’s like it never mattered. He’d expected - he was so sure it would've gone  _ fantastically  _ \- and now all he feels is bitterness. 

(he thinks the simulation might have switched their personalities around.)

 

-

 

_ “Why the fuck did nobody tell me she lost her fuckin’ memories?!” _

He watches as the people in the room all stiffen at his accusation. 

“I went in ‘nd she didn't fuckin’ recognize me!”

“Kaito, we would have told you…” Shuuichi trails off, clearly uncertain as to how to continue. He glances around the room in a silent plea for help, but no one meets his eyes. 

“But what? It shouldn't even have been that fuckin’ hard to tell me!”

“We didn't tell you beca-”

“I can't believe you hid this from me!” Kaito interrupts. His voice gets louder and angrier, and Shuuichi shrinks back from him with something like fear. “Did you fuckin’ lie to me this whole time? Is this why she never asked to see me?”

“W-we hid thi-”

“Do you know how much it fuckin’ hurts? To walk in and have someone you care about not know who the fuck you are?!  _ Do you know?! _ ”

“KAITO!”

The sharp noise of skin meeting skin echoes throughout the room. Kaito instinctively reaches for his stinging cheek, eyes widening in shock. Kirumi glares at him, looking equally furious and exasperated. Her hand is still up, and she’s unafraid to strike him again. 

“Calm down and listen to what Shuuichi has to say. You won't get anywhere like this,” she snaps sternly. 

Kaito rubs his throbbing skin and chuckles, though there’s no amusement in it at all. Distantly, he wishes Kirumi had kept her gloves on after leaving the simulation. “Shit, Kirumi, that hurt.”

Kirumi nods stiffly, her face set. “We understand you must feel betrayed right now, but please try to understand why we did it.” She walks over to Shuuichi and puts a hand on his shoulder in silent affirmation, before encouraging him to explain to Kaito. 

Shuuichi approaches Kaito timidly, as though readying himself to be struck again. Kaito swallows, unable to suppress a surge of guilt at the sight. 

( _ don’t feel guilty he deserved it  _ something else inside of him snarls,  _ it’s all his fault he deserved it don’t feel guilty  _ **_don’t-_ ** )

“We didn't want to tell you because you were the closest to her,” Shuuichi starts, his voice faltering. “It was the only plan we could think of at the time… but it was never the best idea.”

Kaito scoffs. “No kiddin’.” He shuts up when Kirumi glares at him. 

“We should've told you earlier. We’re sorry.”

Kaito grips his hair in his fists, breathing in and out to calm himself. “Okay. It’s fine. How do her memories work now?”

He watches Shuuichi and Himiko exchange nervous glances, chest thumping with frustration. What weren't they telling him?

Oh wait. They weren’t telling him  _ anything _ . 

“She thinks Shuuichi and I are from her orphanage,” Himiko blurts out, averting her eyes from Kaito’s piercing gaze and meeting Tenko’s in a silent request for help. Tenko raises her hands helplessly, and mouths a ‘sorry’. “She keeps asking to meet with us because... she believes we’re her childhood friends.”

“And what does that mean?” Kaito’s patience, already exhausted, grows thin. 

“She can’t tell the difference between her real and in-game memories.”

Kaito wearily runs his hand through his hair. Having the facts laid out is taking all the anger out of him, as much as he wants to stay indignant. “Jesus.” He takes a seat on one of the benches and rubs his temples. “What now? What’re we gon’ do ‘bout this?”

“The doctors don’t know. We were thinking of waiting until she was more stable and figure out a solution before then,” Rantarou says. 

“Fine,” Kaito sighs. He narrows his eyes at the group. “But you better fuckin’ think of somethin’ quick. Don't feed her any more fake bullshit and make this worse.”

It's his only choice, he tells himself, but he knows there are so many other options. 

 

-

 

“Do you mind if I join you?”

Startled, Kaito screws up his push-ups to the sound of Shuuichi restraining a snicker at his surprise. He straightens, trying to catch his breath. “Yeah, sure.” he says. “Do ya think you're strong enough to work out right now?”

“Hmmm… I don't know. I guess we’ll see.” Maki drops down into a perfect push-up position and begins. She starts off shakily, clearly not used to exercising after months of resting, but she soon catches up, maintaining a rhythm as steady as a metronome. 

Kaito and Shuuichi watch, awestruck. While she isn’t as strong as in the game, Maki is still clearly more fit than either of them. 

Maki pauses and looks up at them, her voice almost as sardonic as it was in the game. “Are you two going to join?” 

Shuuichi stammers in response and starts his own reps. Kaito announces that he’s taking a rest. He flops down on the exercise map, sweaty but content, feeling nostalgic as he watches them. 

He’d  _ missed _ this: the sight of his two friends working out with him, just like in the simulator, and he appreciates not losing the one good thing that happened in the game. 

An hour later, when they decide to stop, they bombard her with questions like  _ how did you get so strong _ and  _ do you like to exercise _ . 

(maki’s laugh is breathy and light and kaito wants to hear it forever.)

“Oi, Harumaki! You're so strong, just like in the ga-” A swift kick to the shin, and Kaito curses. “Shuuichi, whatthefuck?!”

“Like Tenko!” the other boy interrupts. “You're really strong just like Tenko!”

They both watch as Maki’s eyes crinkle in happiness. “Ah, I wouldn't say I'm as strong as Tenko, but thank you.” Shuuichi turns and widens his eyes at Kaito when Maki becomes distracted by another routine. It’s a clear warning.  _ Don't fuck this up.  _

Kaito flashes a grin back at his friend.  _ Don't worry, I won't. _

 

_ - _

 

“Do you know what kind of accident I got into?”

Kaito curses the gods for making him deal with this, but he knows he and everyone else have been avoiding the topic for nearly two months. He’s determined not to deny Maki the truth she deserves. 

Still, he hesitates. “...Tell me, Harumaki, have you ever heard of  _ DanganRonpa _ ?”

“What does that have to do with an-”

“ _ Maki _ .”

Maki stares at him blankly, but slowly nods. “I have. The kids at the orphanage enjoyed it but… the series made me sick. What’s the point of making teenagers murder each other? I despised that show.”

Kaito chokes on a bitter laugh. For a moment, he’s tempted to just throw the truth in her face:  _ You were a murderer in the game. You have blood on your hands, blood you can’t wash away no matter how many times you tried. _ She didn’t know what she was capable of. What she’d already done. 

“Give me a minute and I'll explain everything to you.” He walks out of the room, trying his best to not think about what he’s doing. 

A moment later, Kaito drops the DVD for the entire 53rd season of  _ DanganRonpa _ onto her lap and instructs Maki to play it. She frowns, clearly unable to see the point, but obeys. 

The season starts off with clips of the previous fifty-two seasons. A long-haired girl strangling another, a boy in a suit nonchalantly dropping poison into a drink, a pale-faced teen clutching the stump of their arm as a figure advances towards them. From the corner of his eye, Kaito sees Maki chewing on her lip, her skin shades paler than it should be. 

The 53rd season officially starts when Kaede tumbles out of a locker, and Kaito desperately tries to pretend he can’t hear Maki whispering “Kaede?” in horror. 

The camera follows Kaede as she walks to the gym and pans out. Maki’s eyes are fixed on the screen, but Kaito can’t stop watching Maki - the way her lips shape out each student’s name, the way her eyes grow wider and wider until he’s afraid they’ll pop from her sockets.

He can pinpoint the exact moment she begins to understand. She turns away from him and curls into herself, her teeth clenched and her eyes narrowed as if she’s holding back tears. She holds the bedsheets in a death-grip, as though it’ll stop her trembling, and Kaito is this close to turning the TV off and throwing the disc against the wall but Maki  _ deserves to know _ . 

The camera lands on her.

“Is that… me?” 

“Yes.”

“What am I doing there?”

Kaito regrets his next words. “Just keep watching.”

Maki does. Transfixed on the screen as she is, she misses Kaito slip out of the room. 

Hours later, he hears a loud, broken-hearted scream from Maki’s room and feels sick. 

 

-

 

Kaede Akamatsu was known for her brightness and optimism. She was the kindest cast member of the 53rd season by far, notable for trying to understand everyone’s motivations in spite of how ridiculous some could be. She was a girl who believed the best of everyone, always encouraging people to make their own choices. 

Not even a diehard fan of  _ DanganRonpa _ would recognise the fuming woman standing in front of Kaito as Kaede Akamatsu. 

“What the  _ fuck _ were you thinking?!”

It took Kaito everything he has to not flinch, but he does it. “I did the right thing.”

“What was right? What was  _ right?! _ ” Kaede laughs sarcastically, her voice pitching up. “You don't understand! She wasn't supposed to know! You went and dropped the fact that she’d tried to  _ kill _ someone on her when she wasn't healthy enough to handle it!”

A cough comes from one of the tables. Rantarou stares at the two of them, wearing the coldest expression Kaito has ever seen on him outside the game. “Kaito, we would have told her when she was ready.”

“That's fuckin’ bullshit and you know it!” Kaito curls his hands into fists, digging his nails into his palms. 

“ _ None _ of you were gonna tell her! How fuckin’ long were you gonna drag this shit on?”

Shuuichi tentatively reaches out to Kaito. “We were just waiting for the right mome-” He swats his hand away, and Kaede’s glare sharpens. 

“We were runnin’ out of fucking excuses to give her!” Kaito meets Kaede’s glare head-on, his eyes just as fiery as hers. “How did you plan to drop the whole  _ DanganRonpa _ bullshit on her anyway? The longer you waited, the worse she would’ve handled it. So yeah, I did what I thought was right.”

“If you had given us more time, we would've thought of something!” Kaede hisses. 

“Oh? So you were gonna keep feeding her excuses and tellin’ her she got into some unknown accident that none of ya can explain? Brilliant.” 

Finished with the argument, Kaito turns and heads for the exit. He stops two feet from the door, head half-turned towards the group but not quite facing them. 

“I don’t know if you’re tryin’ to prevent her or yourselves from gettin’ hurt.”

He exits the room to the sound of Rantarou whispering urgently to Kaede, and if he tries he can pretend that he doesn’t care about that at all. 

 

-

 

Kaito’s plan is simple: walk into the cafeteria and and swiftly grab his dinner without interacting with his classmates or causing a scene. Easy. 

… It  _ should  _ be simple and easy, but he hears a familiar voice as he’s about to step in.

“...long...hide it...me?”

Maki was confronting them. 

Kaito stands next to the door, his back flattened against the wall. Part of him wants to interfere, knowing that this can only end badly. But something else tells him to stay put because they deserve it. They deserve to feel guilty for keeping a secret from her. 

“It never occurred to you all that by keeping all this hidden, you were hurting me?” 

The room is silent, save for the occasional furious sniffle from Maki. 

“W-we were waiting for a better time to tell you,” Gonta ventures, his voice trailing off abruptly. Even without looking into the room, Kaito can tell Maki’s giving him her infamous glower. 

“Were you really going to tell me? No one would answer whenever I asked about my ‘accident’. I guess it all makes sense now. You're all cowards.” 

“Maki, please,” Saihara tries, but from the slight shake in his voice it’s clear that he knows his attempt at calming her down isn’t working. “You need to understand why we did this…”

“I do understand! But what you were doing was… you went along with my fucked-up memories and confused me even more. God, I can't tell what's real and what's not.” Maki pauses, breathing in sharply to collect her thoughts. Her voice is laced with betrayal as she continues, “You and Himiko were never in the same orphanage with me.”

“...no. We never lived in an orphanage in the first place.”

Maki lets out a breathy, choked laugh. “You know, I thought Kokichi was the only one who enjoyed lying, but I was wrong. You’ve all picked up that hobby of his.”

Kaito hears her footsteps nearing him, but he’s too stunned at that last statement to move. Maki freezes when she sees him, and he stares back at her silently. Her hair’s a mess, the ugly white nightgown from the  _ DanganRonpa  _ team hangs from her frail body, and her already-red eyes are swollen and puffy. For a moment, Kaito wants desperately to hold her. 

He takes a step forward. She takes a step back. Her narrowed eyes stare at him coldly. 

_ Back off.  _

If it isn’t for the warm kitchen lights illuminating the corridor behind them, this could be another night in the killing game with the Maki that Kaito knew there. She’d never stopped scowling then, and somehow he’d completely forgotten that the Maki in the game and the Maki in reality were the same person until now. 

He doesn't know if it’s a good reminder or not. 

Kaito watches Maki set up an invisible barrier, closing herself away from the others, from him. She seems tenser, smaller. He watches her walk away until she rounds a corner and he can't see her hunched back anymore. 

With nothing else to do, he goes to grab dinner. He walks in, grabs a bowl of curry and rice, and walks quickly back out. He's relieved when he doesn’t feel a single pair of eyes burning into his back. 

As Kaito strolls back to his room, he passes by Maki’s. He hears choked sobs and sniffles, an occasional half-muffled scream from inside, and it  _ hurts  _ to listen to. After standing in place for a few minutes, listening to her shallow breathing, Kaito raises his fist, ready to knock. 

He stops. 

He doesn’t knock. Instead, he withdraws his arm and continues his journey back to his room. Kaito loses his appetite and abandons the cold curry after a couple of bites and curls up on his bed, his mind blank. 

That night, he doesn’t fall asleep, the sound of her cries haunting him when he closes his eyes. 

 

-

 

Three knocks. 

“Go away.”

Three more knocks. “Harumaki, it’s me, Kaito.”

Silence follows. Kaito wonders if Maki has chosen to ignore him, but then he hears quiet footsteps making their way towards the door. The door creaks open, and never in his life has Kaito ever been so excited to see a sliver of someone’s face. 

“What.”

“Can I come in?” he asks as gently as he can, trying to show Maki he means no harm. She cracks the door open another few inches and Kaito mentally high-fives himself. 

As Maki closes the door and locks it, Kaito quickly blurts out, “I missed you.” 

Her eyes widen. This is clearly not what she’d expected him to say. “Oh?” 

“I-I mean,” Kaito curses under his breath, “you've been hidin’ in your room the last few days and I haven't gotten to talk to ya. I miss you when you’re not around.” 

Maki gives Kaito’s half-assed attempt at explaining himself a strained smile. “Alright.”

Reaching out to move strands of her hair behind her ear (his heart skips a beat when he feels her lean the slightest bit into his touch) Kaito asks, “How you've been?”

“I'm… getting better.”

His thumb traces a dark circle under her eye. “Have you been sleeping?” 

She shakes her head. 

“Harumaki…”

“You can't lecture me about sleeping when you clearly haven't been sleeping either!” she retorts, gesturing to the dark rings under Kaito’s eyes. He snorts. 

“Don't sass me, Harumaki.” She squeaks when he softly pinches her cheek. “Why haven't you been sleeping?”

She sighs, hands toying the hem of her shirt. “I've been… thinking about the me inside the game. How I acted.” Her stare is faraway, and Kaito knows just how repulsed she is at herself. “It's just… I was everything that I hated, but I don’t think I’m that person now. I killed someone. I wasn't afraid to kill. I even hurt Kokichi! Why did I do that?”

“Who  _ wouldn't  _ have wanted to choke that bastard?” Kaito mumbles under his breath, but immediately regrets his words when Maki stares at him in pain. “Sorry.”

“I don't understand why they altered our personalities.” she says. “The team essentially put their own characters into us.”

Kaito lets out a rumbling noise, deep in his thoughts. “You watched the scene with the audition videos, right?” She nods. 

“Ya probably didn't expect me to be a dick, huh?” Maki looks at him. “Man, I was an asshole. I joined the game to kill someone, to kill as many as possible. And a lot of the things I said then were completely against my morals now.” Kaito tilts his head down to look at her, flashing her a grin. 

“If  _ DanganRonpa _ got somethin’ right, it’s changin’ my fucking personality. I dunno ‘bout you, but I like what they changed me into and I wouldn't give it up for the world, y’know?”

She smiles solemnly. “That makes one of us.”

“Hey.” Kaito ruffles her hair. “Don't think that way. I liked your personality then and I like you now. Sure you were cold and kinda bitchy, but I knew you were capable of feelin’ somethin’, ya just tried not to show it. That makes you a - what do they call that? Tsundere? Yeah, you were a tsundere. I thought it was cute.” 

Maki wrinkles her nose. “God, I am not a tsundere.”

“That's what they all say.” 

She playfully hits Kaito’s arm, and he laughs. “Besides, if ya really hate your in-game personality, team  _ DanganRonpa _ would've gave ya an option to revert back to pre-game. Although I don't think any of us would have done it. Guess we’re pretty satisfied with what we got.” 

Maki busies herself by detangling her hair. “Um, can I watch my audition video? I'd like to know why I signed up for the game.”

Kaito shakes his head apologetically. “Nah, sorry. The only ones released were the ones in the show. They probably burned the videos or somethin’.” He places his hand under Maki’s chin and lifts her head up. “Oi, you probably signed up for a good cause, instead for fame and money like me. Stop worrying.”

“Sorry.” She bites her lip. “I... should probably apologize to them for how I acted that night.”

“‘’s not your fault for blowing up like that.” Sensing her uncertainty, Kaito adds, “but if ya want to, I can take ya to them now. It's almost lunch, everyone should be gatherin’ in the cafeteria.”

The corners of Maki’s mouth lift up gratefully, then turn down. “Um, if you don't mind, can you help keep her away from me? I don't know how I feel about her.”

Kaito raises an eyebrow. “Who?”

“Tsumugi.”

He rubs the back of his neck. “I can try, but I can't promise anythin’.”

“It's fine.” Maki turns and heads for the door, and her hand’s on the knob when she hears a “Wait.”

She turns and sees Kaito, his arms wide open and a large grin plastered onto his face. 

“How ‘bout a hug from the man famous in space, Kaito Momota?”

Upon noticing how she hesitates, he slowly lowers his arms, disappointed, then stumbles backwards when she closes the distance between them and practically tackles him, burying her face into his chest. 

Stroking her hair, he jokes, “Heh, the Maki in the game would've kicked me in the balls if I even suggested that we hug.”

“Mmm, in-game Maki was stupid and missing out. Your hugs are nice and warm,” she hums in reply, the vibration tickling Kaito’s chest. He feels her arms tighten around his torso. 

He lets go when she drops from her tiptoes to stand properly. Maki would probably hit Kaito if he said it, but their large height difference will never cease to amuse him. “So off to the cafeteria?”

He’s prepared for a silent walk over to the cafeteria, but she continues to surprise him. They joke as they go, and soon enough their laughing is bouncing off the hallways. Kaito is relieved to see her healthier. 

Their friends are shocked to see her when they appear. Maki apologizes profusely, bowing low to ask for their forgiveness - which he thinks is stupid, because none of this is  _ her _ fault. Kaede laughs off her “sorry”s and Kokichi sends her a thumbs up and tells her everything is fine. 

(the thought of her and the fake supreme leader having a healthy relationship is still  _ weird _ , on so many levels.)

From the corner of his eye, Kaito can sense Tsumugi stiffen, and he notices how Maki turns away from her. He brushes his observations off. 

As he listens to her talking with everyone, Kaito thinks Maki will fit in just fine. 

 

-

 

Kaito knows they're back when he hears excited voices. When he rounds the corner, he sees Maki surrounded by the girls, each of them complimenting her now-short hair. 

“Maki! Angie thinks your hair is super cute!”

Her cheeks turn pink, obviously not used to so much attention. “Thank you.”

“You should've seen the hairdresser when Maki walked in,” Rantarou starts. “They were all admiring her hair.”

“Welcome back.” Kaito walks into view and Maki whips around, her smile widening when she sees him. He takes a few steps and stands in front of her. His hand reaches out to brush against her freshly-cut hair. “You cut it,” he murmurs softly. 

“I did.” She tilts her head and the bottom of her hair brushes her collarbones. “It was getting tiring to haul around and take care of five feet of hair, so Rantarou took me to his favorite hair salon. Do you like it?”

Kaito smiles thinly. “It's cute on ya.” He hopes no one can feel the lie behind his words. 

He’s angry, and the worst thing is that he doesn’t understand why. He hadn’t consciously wanted Maki to keep her hair long up until now. It isn’t even  _ his _ hair: he’d have no right to stop her from cutting it even if he’d known about it before. 

Besides, he should be glad she cut her hair, right? The length of it served as a constant reminder of the killing game. But now that it’s gone, Kaito has one less thing bringing back memories of the simulation. 

(the darker selfish side of him thinks that maybe he just wanted a piece of the in-game Maki with him.) 

“I'll be putting the bags away.” Rantarou says, turning to face Maki. “Is it alright if I style your hair later? The hairdresser told me you have nice, thick hair, and I really want to tie it up or something.”

Kaede squeals in excitement. “Oh! We can try out those cute new hairpins on you too!”

“And you can also wear some of the cute clothes we got you.” Miu adds. She winks at Kaito. 

Maki plays with a strand of her hair, looking flustered at the spotlight thrown onto her. “Yeah, that'll be great.” She's dragged away by the three, leaving Kaito to deal with his petty anger alone. 

Fortunately, his irritation ebbs away that evening when Maki shows up to dinner with her hair styled in a soft wavy braid courtesy of Rantarou, borrowed star clips weaved into her hair, and wearing a new pastel skirt and top. 

(kaito’s one hundred sure kokichi took a picture of him looking awestruck and will use it as blackmail.)

 

-

 

If there’s anything Kaito has learned about Rantarou Amami, it’s that he's stealthy.

One day, he’s carrying decorative plants to put around Maki’s room. He turns the corner and nearly bumps into Rantarou, casually leaning against a wall. Kaito’s poor decorative plant suffers the consequences. 

“Jesus fuck! Give a man some warnin’, will ya?” Kaito screeches, snatching up the upturned plant. Rantarou chuckles. 

“Do you have a moment? Or are you occupied with saving your friend?” Kaito flips him off. 

“Yeah, gimme a moment and we can talk.”

When the plant has been fixed, Kaito pats the spot next to him, inviting Rantarou to sit. “Whatcha wanna talk to me about?”

Rantarou taps his chin. “I wanted to talk about you and Maki. You like her, right?”

Kaito sputters. 

“Look, I’ll be straightforward,” Rantarou says, “I trust you with her. You're a good kid-”

“Kid? You're barely older than me - ”

“ - and I know you have good intentions,” he continues, flat-out ignoring Kaito’s interruption. “Maki has a lot on her plate right now and she doesn't need to get hurt any further.” He pats the other boy on the back. “Take good care of her.”

Kaito smirks. “When did  _ you _ start caring for Harumaki?”

“Since I started getting to know more about her. She kind of feels like… a younger sister to me? I probably would've tried to talk to her in the game if I hadn’t, y’know...” Rantarou gestures demonstratively towards his head, “died so early.”

Kaito cringes at the reminder of the first death. “Damn, I dunno, man. It took me most of the game to get her to stop wanting to choke me.” 

Rantarou chuckles, wrapping the metal chain of his necklace around a slender finger. “You're a lucky guy. She must've really liked you.”

Kaito agrees. He is lucky. 

 

_ - _

 

Kirumi asks Kaito if he can go to the market and pick up some groceries, and he decides to invite Maki to go with him. It’s a good opportunity to spend some time with her. Shoving the grocery list and money into the pocket of his hoodie, he treks over to her room and notices her door is ajar. 

Leaning against the doorframe, Kaito catches sight of Maki sitting cross-legged on her bed, her head bent low and her fingers moving skillfully over a strip of paper. She seemed so absorbed that he almost feels bad that he’s about to interrupt.   


He knocks softly on the wall and gives her an apologetic glance when she jumps, eyes peering up at him from behind the curtain of hair. 

“Oh, Kaito! Did you need something?”

Kaito rubs the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah. I was gonna ask if ya wanted to go to the market with me. Kirumi asked me to pick up some things for dinner.”

“Mhmm, just give me a moment to finish up,” she replies distractedly, holding up the paper to emphasize her point.

“It’s fine! What are you makin’ there, anyways?”

Maki smiles before replying, “Paper stars.” 

Kaito raises an eyebrow. “Paper stars, huh. Any reason why you're doing that?”

“For fun. Angie was teaching some of the others how to make paper stars earlier today and it reminded me of the days in the orphanage when I would spend hours making them. Besides, it's a nice stress reliever.” Her smile becomes solemn for an instant, but it disappears in a flash. “Would you like to learn how to make one?” 

Kaito nods and Maki hands him a strip of paper. He looks down and chuckles. It’s printed with little Hello Kitty logos in pink and white. 

Maki grabs a new strip of paper and holds it up. “Alright, start with a knot. This is the hardest step in the whole process. The tip is to be gentle and patient.” She demonstrates by looping the paper towards the top and passing the end through the loop. Next, she pulls and presses the loop down. “Now you try.” 

It takes Kaito an embarrassingly long time to get it right, his thick fingers fumbling with the strip and even tearing it at one point. Maki laughs and offers him a new strip, but he grunts and waves her off. When he finally manages to get a decent knot, he holds it up to show her, a proud grin on his face. 

“Ha! I did it!” he exclaims, and Maki pats him on the shoulder. His grin grows wider. 

“That's great! Now, you fold the paper like this…”

They keep going for the next few minutes, Maki patiently guiding Kaito through the steps. When he finishes it, he places the tiny star on his palm, staring intently at his hard work. 

The star is far from perfect. One side of it is inflated, while the other side is deflated and caved in on itself. The points of the star are uneven. Overall, it’s a crumbled mess. 

(oh how that star is just like them.)

“And there, you have your first star!” Maki’s voice breaks Kaito out of his trance. “The more you make them the better they’ll look. It's okay if it doesn't look so great right now.”

Suddenly Maki shifts in her spot, turning to face him completely. She extends her legs to rest them on each side of his, and interlaces her hand with his free one. 

“Mmm,” she hums, “guess who else was there at Angie’s lesson. Korekiyo. And guess what he told me.” 

Kaito leans in closer to hear as she whispers, “He said if you fold one thousand paper stars, your wish will be granted.”

Kaito snickers, and Maki whaps him lightly on the head. “Stop laughing, you asshole.” But she doesn’t seem to mean it, because after a few seconds she starts giggling, too. 

“I’m sorry,” Kaito wheezes. He's not actually sorry. “You didn't strike me as the type to believe in these things.”

Maki puffs out her cheeks, and suddenly he’s reminded of the many times in the simulator when she pouted in embarrassment. “I didn't say I  _ believed _ in it. Anyway, it’s just a hobby. There's so many other things I could be doing instead of folding paper stars.”

They sit there, quietly enjoying each other's company, before Kaito excuses himself to go out. 

At this moment, Kaito knows he's an idiot for what he's about to do. He laughed at Maki because he thought she believed in Korekiyo’s story. But...

Fifty-three minutes later, after telling everyone (sans Maki and Tsumugi) to meet him in the lounge via text, Kaito returns with two large jars tucked under his arms and a plastic bag filled with packets and packets of paper strips. 

“Alright guys! Here's what we’re gonna do!” 

The group gives him identical quizzical expressions, clearly wondering  _ why the fuck did Kaito return with so many paper strips, _ but they let him continue. 

Kaito elaborates on his plan and his friends start nodding in approval. He’s excited and thankful when they all agree to contribute. He distributes the packs of paper and Angie promises to teach the people in the group that don’t know how to fold stars. 

Kirumi interrupts, breaking the light-hearted mood. 

“Kaito, where are the groceries?”

A moment of silence and -

“... Fuck, I  _ knew _ I was forgetting something.”

 

-

 

Almost a month later, Kaito drags Maki to the lounge, ignoring her protests. When she asks him what’s going on, he replies with a “you'll see” and ruffles her hair when she pouts. 

When they enter, Kaito loudly signals for one of them to bring out Maki’s gift, and Tenko carries the two large jars, now filled with paper stars, onto the table. 

“Surprise!” 

Maki freezes, clearly caught off-guard. Her eyes are very wide as she stares at the stars. 

“Hey, Harumaki,” Kaito begins. “I know I laughed at you when you told me one thousand paper stars grant one wish, but I thought it's worth a try, y’know?”

Kaito quickly turns around to face Maki, ready to continue speaking, and pauses when sees her face scrunched up and her eyebrows furrowed. For a moment, he thinks she’s… disappointed? After all, she did say there were better things to do than sit and make stars. 

“Harumaki?”

Before Kaito knows it, she throws her arms around his neck. He barely catches her in time. Maki buries her face into his neck, and he can feel her tears dripping onto his collarbone. 

“Thank you,” she chokes out, her voice tickling his neck. Kaito tries to contain a shiver. “Thank you, thank you,  _ thank you _ .”

His arms wrap around her tighter, his lips pressing to the crown of her head (it’s not a kiss  _ it’s not a kiss _ ). “You're welcome, Harumaki.”

They don't realize they linger just a little too long until someone, probably Kokichi, coughs to catch their attention. Kaito watches as a flush creeps onto Maki’s face, and he tries to ignore the sensation of his own face burning up as well. He sets her back down, hands still placed around her waist, and looks over his shoulder to give a deadpan stare at the group. 

“Hey, flower-brained idiot!” Miu hollers, “Stop hoggin’ her all to yourself and share!” Kaito reluctantly lets Maki go and Miu bounds over to her excitedly, hugging her close to her chest. 

Kirumi takes the opportunity to bring out the sweets they’d made earlier: star shaped cookies and a strawberry cake with an icing drawing of Maki done by Angie. Miu drags Maki by the arm over to the table and starts chanting “Cut the cake! Cut the cake!” at her. 

It's strange for Kaito to see Maki chattering with Korekiyo, the shine in her eyes never diminishing. Korekiyo’s mouth is hidden behind the hospital mask, but Kaito knows he’s smiling as he ruffles Maki’s hair like an older brother would. 

It's strange, to see Kokichi latch onto Maki’s back and excitedly yell about something, Maki giggling in reply and hoisting him up in her arms. 

It's strange, to see Maki hugging Tenko, Himiko, and Angie as they come up to her with more star-shaped accessories, Tenko and Angie returning the gesture while Himiko complains that she’s too short for this. 

It's strange, to see Maki shyly joining in a small duet with Kaede, with Rantarou and a reluctant Shuuichi joining in later. 

It’s strange, Kaito thinks, how their personalities are so different but they still manage to get along. When they’re all together like this, it’s almost like being with family. 

It’s  _ normal _ . 

Later, when he and Maki are finally kicked out of the lounge (the others refusing to let her clean up the mess and Kaito volunteering to go with her), she tugs at his sleeve. 

“Hey, how many stars are in these jars?”

Kaito looks down, and sees Maki stare expectantly up at him.

“Six thousand.”

“S-six thousand? You spent that much time sitting and folding that many stars? Kaito, you could’ve -”

Kaito barks out a laugh so loud that it echoes in the hallway. “Geez, Harumaki, why can't you just say ‘thanks’ first and ask questions later?”

She flushes, a faint rosy pink that paints prettily over her cheeks. 

“Thank you.”

(there are actually seven thousand stars in the jar. six thousand ‘i hope you get your memories back’ one thousand silent ‘i love you’s’.) 

 

-

 

There are days where Maki is reminded of just how fucked up her memories are. 

He finds her one night standing in the kitchen, staring at the counter. The expression on her face actually scares Kaito for a moment: it’s completely blank, as though her memories have been wiped clean again. 

“Harumaki?”

Maki jumps in her seat. When Kaito finally sees her a little more clearly under the moonlight, he can’t help but notice how  _ shaken _ she is. It's strange, to think this is the same girl who’d been in the game with him, the one who’d always aware of her surroundings, and drew herself up to protect herself from it. The girl in front of him can be caught off guard, but at the same time she’s much more comfortable being near others. 

Both are equally as broken. 

“Hey,” she mumbles, gesturing to the chair across the counter in a silent invitation to sit. Her hair falls across her face, obscuring it, but not soon enough that Kaito catches her swollen eyes. She’s been crying. 

While Kaito gets himself comfortable on the stool, Maki slides a piece of binder paper across to him with shaky hands. 

“I-I received this today.” 

Kaito picks the crumbled paper up. There are tear stains on it. When he unfolds the paper, being careful not to rip the damp spots, he realizes it's a letter. 

_ Hi Maki!  _ it begins. 

_ I'm sorry I haven't visited you yet, but the the owners of the orphanage refused to let any of us stop by. We all watched you on DR, and I guess that's why they won't let us contact you. I don't think the owners like you all that much now, but I'll sneak you in if I have to! _

_ Anyway, I hope you come back soon! I miss you tons, and I think some of the others do too. There's so much I want to talk to you about. Hope to see you soon!!!! _

_-_ __ Keiji _ _

Kaito hears Maki sniff and returns his attention back to her. “Someone from your orphanage sent you this?” She nods. 

“So who’s this Keiji? Is he your friend?” He regrets asking as soon as he sees Maki still. 

“I don't know.”

She stares at him directly in the eye, her voice dull and hollow. Kaito has never been so afraid. 

“I can’t remember him. I don't know who Keiji is.”

Sliding the letter back, Kaito asks, “Are you sure? The name doesn't ring a bell?”

“I-I’m sure.” She breaks into a hysterical laugh. “It's funny, isn't it?”

His mouth parts. “Wha-”

“This kid, Keiji, speaks as if we’re close. We probably are, but  _ I can't even remember that _ .” She grips the paper in her hand, its sharp edges sticking out from between her fingers. “I can't remember who’s close to me. God, my memories are so fucked.”

“Rantarou’s been in the killing game  _ three _ times and his mind hasn't been completely screwed over like mine. I… why did I sign up for this in the first place? DanganRonpa changed me into a completely different person, ruined my memories, and now people hate me for things I can’t remember doing! Why did I do it? Why would I do this to myself?!  _ I don't understand! _ ”

Maki slams both hands against the granite tile of the counter, breathing heavily in frustration, and flinches as she realizes just how  _ loud _ she’s being at two in the morning. Curling into herself, she starts to sob, small hands covering her mouth to stifle the noise. 

The stool screeches as it slides across the floor. Kaito walks around the counter, his slippers softly slapping against the tile floor. He pulls her head towards him as he reaches her, allowing her to cry against him. He hears Maki’s breath hitch in shock. After a moment of hesitation, her hands move to his back and grip the fabric of his T-shirt between her hands.

Kaito’s not sure how long they stay there, with her cries muffled against his body and him running his fingers through her hair in a attempt to calm her, her heartbroken whimpering steadily slowing as he whispers empty promises.  _ You'll be fine. You’re going to be okay. _

When he returns to bed, he runs his fingers over his stomach, feeling the dampness of the fabric. The faint sensation of her nose and lips pressed against him won’t fade. 

 

-

 

“They told me it's near impossible for me to get my memories right again.”

“Oh.”

“I don't know if I want them back. I'd get my childhood back but… is it worth remembering the game?”

“Hah, I'd wanna forget my game memories.”

“That’s true. Do… do you think I'll eventually get my memories back like the rest of you, even if I don’t accept their help?”

“I dunno, Harumaki.”

 

-

 

“Didn't expect to see you here.”

Looking up from his spot, he sees Maki staring down at him. He pats the grassy spot next to him, and she sits down and gets comfortable.

“I wanted to ask you something,” she says. 

“Go ahead.”

“In the game, were we, um,” She makes incoherent gestures with her hands, cheeks redder than ever. “Were we a… thing?”

Kaito widens his eyes. “Oh. No, we weren’t. I died before anything happened.” He lies down on the grass, throwing an arm over his eyes to block out the sun. “I think if we had more time, we might have gotten together eventually. Ya made it pretty clear you had feelings for me.” She makes a strange, flustered noise at his last statement, and he barks out a laugh. 

“How about you?” Maki asks, as they settle back down. “Did... you feel the same way?”

“Yeah.” He swallows. “I did.”

She remains silent. 

“My feelings for you were real,” he says gruffly. “Every fuckin’ thing Tsumugi said about our feelings being engineered or whatever for the viewers, that was fake.” He turns his head to face her. “If these feelings were really because of the brainwashin’, I wouldn’t have loved you in that way when I woke up from the simulator. But I do.” 

He’s learned not to be surprised when Maki grabbing his hand and interlaces their fingers, but he almost stops breathing when she brings their entwined hands up to her face and brushes her lips against his knuckles. “I believe you.”

With a slight tug on her arm, Kaito brings her down to straddle his outstretched legs. 

“What if we tried it out. A relationship, I mean,” he says, arms moving to encircle her waist. 

Maki leans down, pressing her lips to his cheek. Kaito’s heart is fluttering so hard that he feels like it’ll burst, and the warm feeling in his chest spreads when he feels her mouth stretch into a smile. She pulls back after a few seconds, leaving his skin tingling, and meets his gaze, eyes bright with happiness. He wants to be the person that makes her look that way forever. 

“I’d like that.”

 

-

 

Kaito is half-asleep when he hears his bedroom door creak. He sits up, brushing long bangs out of his eyes to blink sleepily at Maki tiptoeing into his room. 

“Did I wake you?” she whispers. 

Kaito shakes his head. “‘Wasn't asleep yet,” he whispers back groggily. “You shouldn't be in here.”

“I-I needed some company.”

He frowns. “Nightmares?”

“Yeah.”

Kaito lifts up his blanket, squinting in the dark as she walks to her bed and toes her slippers off. She places them neatly next to his own larger slippers on the side of his bed and slips under the covers with a satisfied sigh. His arms immediately wrap around her. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“No.”

“Alright.”

He realizes too late that she’s forgotten to lock the door, but with her small, warm frame pressed against his he can't bring himself to care. 

 

-

 

If every morning brought a pair of arms around him and his legs tangled with another’s, Kaito thinks he’d probably enjoy waking up. He’s greeted by dark hair and red nightclothes, and he squints through the sun shining on him as he brushes her hair away from her face and watches her sleep.

“Stop staring, you creep,” Maki grumbles, voice muffled and drowsy. Her eyes flutter open. 

He pokes her on the cheek. “Can’t help it, you're too cute.” He chuckles when she whines, letting her hair fall back over her embarrassed face. 

“Good morning.”

“Mornin’ to you too, Harumaki.”

Still half-asleep, Maki reaches up to press a kiss to his lips and misses. Her mouth brushes against Kaito’s chin and bottom lip instead, and he snorts and presses his lips firmly to hers. After that, he watches her fall back asleep, her breaths deepening and evening out. 

With his chin on her head, her face pressed against his neck, their bodies underneath the warm covers, the rising sun shining through the blinds and over them, Kaito forgets. 

Forgets that her memories are screwed up. Forgets that  _ DanganRonpa _ will probably be in their lives forever. Forgets that the world is against them. 

All he knows is that Maki’s real. She’s alive and she’s here with him, and he could never ask for anything more than this. 

**Author's Note:**

> years later:
> 
> Kaito: hey remember when we made those stars yea theres actually like seven thousand in there
> 
> Maki: wHAt
> 
> i probably wont do the whole first names thing next time. writing "rantarou" and "kokichi" is so weird.
> 
> If you liked the fic, please do kudos and comment! Thanks for reading!


End file.
